Carrick is indeed naked.
Well, almost.
His boxers ended up on his head and he’s still wearing one sock, but it’s on his hand. I managed to get all my clothes off, but I spy my bra hanging from the ceiling fan above the bed.
My face flushes as I look at Carrick in embarrassment, sheepishly admitting, “Not my best effort.”
Carrick laughs, plucking the boxers off his head and tossing them over his shoulder. I reach out and pull the sock off his hand, then whip it in the opposite direction.
I’m laughing, too, as his mouth descends on mine for a glorious, tummy-rolling kiss that excites me as much as it calms me down from my magical high. Carrick is always the exact medicine I need.
His mouth pulls away from mine and his eyes are glowing with amusement as he stares down at me. Brushing a piece of hair back from my forehead, he says, “You were really amazing tonight in the coliseum. I knew you had it in you.”
I flush with pleasure from the compliment. Before I knew who Carrick was to me—back when I thought he hated me and didn’t have much regard for me—I never thought I’d get an ounce of his respect.
I inherently know I have it, but hearing it out loud—in such a genuinely appreciative tone—bolsters my confidence even more. “Deandra was right about fear. I was afraid of failing. While it was totally sleazy to use Rainey to provoke me to push past it, it was exactly what I needed.”
Carrick nods thoughtfully. “That’s not exactly how I thought she’d reach you, but, in hindsight, it was the right move.”
I shift slightly, resting my head in the crook of his elbow. While moments ago, I was solely focused on sex, I’m focused on something else now.
“Do you think I have any limitations with these powers?” I ask.
Carrick frowns, and it’s obvious he knows what I’m thinking. “I think without knowing, it’s too risky to test them out on something big.”
I just stare at him, trying to look innocent.
“Like going up against Kymaris,” he clarifies, although he didn’t need to. That’s exactly what I had been thinking. Maybe I should just take her on now to save the heartache of retrieving the Blood Stone. Somehow, deep in my gut, I don’t think it’s going to work out well for Lucien. It’s going to end up being so dangerous that I could lose friends in this mission.
“Finley,” Carrick admonishes, his palm going to my jaw and thumb grazing my cheekbone. “We need to focus on the Blood Stone versus going after Kymaris. If we get that, it’s our best and easiest chance of defeating her and keeping you safe at the same time. And frankly, you’re no match for Kymaris right now.”
“You want to keep me safe. I get that. But why are you so focused on the Blood Stone?”
We’re leaving in two days as we had to get word to Titus that we needed him. He promised to be in Seattle tomorrow, and we’ll be doing some major planning as a group. There was never any question I would go. It was a given with me, and Carrick never voiced a concern.
Because we are clearly not getting to the sex part any time soon, Carrick rolls more to his side so he’s facing me, not hovering over my body. “I don’t know if there’s a right answer. But we do have to go with what we think might be the best choice. And I think the Blood Stone is the better bet.”
I frown. “You didn’t quite answer my question. Why is getting the Blood Stone a better option than just killing Kymaris now?”
And that’s when I see it. A tiny flash of guilt in his eyes, and it means he’s hiding something from me.
“Carrick.” I go up on one elbow to get face to face with him. “Why is the Blood Stone so important to you?”
A demi-god is never one to look away, and he stares boldly at me. “Because the Blood Stone is incredibly powerful.”
“Yes, I know. It’s limitless, and it has the ability to let Kymaris tear down the…”
My words trail off as I don’t focus on his words, but the tone in which he said them.
There was a hard, protective edge to his voice.
Then it hits me like a tsunami as I understand exactly why he’s so intent on making this our play—marching on Micah’s realm for the Blood Stone, which also includes a nab at the chalice.
Limitless power.
What is the one power Carrick has been seeking outside the bounty offered him by the gods when he was created?
My eyes flare wide with astonishment and my tone is slightly accusatory, but tinged with awe. “You think it can make me immortal?”
Carrick’s gaze doesn’t waver. He holds my eyes with his own, and it’s all the confirmation I need that he’s made this personal to him. It’s not about the prophecy when it comes to the Blood Stone.
“Whoa,” I murmur, settling back down on the pillow. I stare at his chest blankly as I ponder the implications.
“I don’t know that it would work,” Carrick says, but I keep my eyes fully on his chest. It’s a beautiful one, and I’d rather look at it right now than have to face the emotions swirling within me.
An immortal life with Carrick?
I didn’t think it was possible once the elixir was destroyed, so I didn’t give it much thought.
But now that I do think about it, I lift my eyes to his. “Why did Rune need the elixir? He’s a god, and he’s certainly more powerful than the Blood Stone. Why couldn’t he just make his human love immortal with his own power?”
“Majority rules for most decisions with the gods. But, sometimes, it takes a unanimous ruling. Making a human immortal is one such example. He asked, but they denied him.”
“But you could use the elixir—hypothetically—without asking permission?” I press.
“Demi-gods don’t have the same demands or responsibilities as the gods.”
“I guess I still don’t understand why they’d deny him,” I murmur pensively.
“None have ever taken a long-term partner. Not even with each other. Love can get in the way and interfere with the hard choices they have to make as gods. One having a relationship would make The Council weak.”
“So, if he had used the elixir, wouldn’t that still be going against them? Wouldn’t that anger the gods?”
“Most definitely,” Carrick replies. “And Rune would most likely have suffered some repercussions, but the gods would not have taken it out on the innocent human turned immortal. Once he turned her, she’d be his forever.”
“But you don’t face those same rules?” I ask him to reiterate, just because I need to be sure. If he were to face something heinous for making me immortal, I wouldn’t agree to it.
Still not sure I would.
It’s a big decision.
“It’s not something I had intended to talk to you about until we had the stone in hand.” Carrick moves his body over mine, elbows pressing down into the mattress near my ribs. “But since we are… would you want to be immortal?”
It’s not an exact answer to his question, but it’s the surest one I can give. “I know I never want to be apart from you.”
His smile is tender as he nods in understanding, but then his expression sobers a bit. “Listen… tomorrow when Titus gets here, we’ll be going over plans to get the Blood Stone, but there’s something I need to discuss just with you.”